dpa-AFX International ProFeed, Germany September 3, 2017 Sunday 6:31 AM GMT Colombian army condemns rebel killing of hostage BOGOTA (dpa-AFX) - The Colombian army on Saturday condemned the killing of a Russian-Armenian man who had been kidnapped by the ELN rebel group in November. Media reports said Saturday that the National Liberation Army (ELN) had confirmed the man had been shot dead while attempting to escape in April. At the time, the ELN had only said he had been seriously injured after grabbing a weapon from one of his captors and shooting at them, injuring several. 'The ELN has confirmed that it is a gang of murderers and kidnappers,' army spokesman General Mauricio Mosquera told RCN radio. 'We will never stop looking for the [Russian-Armenian] citizen and are ready to support the family in whatever they need.' The man had reportedly been conducting research on frogs in the Colombian jungle when he was kidnapped on November 5. The ELN is currently holding peace talks with the government, which hopes a deal similar to that reached with FARC rebels last year can be made.